Gary Mittleman, a Colonie resident who has criticized the Loudonville Presbyterian Church for a deal with Verizon Wireless to build a cell phone tower at the church, helped organize two meetings to discuss the plan with a variety of panelists.
The church hosted an information session last month, which was criticized by opponents of a cell tower due to the format of the presentation.
The first speaker will be James Kunstler, a former reporter for Rolling Stone Magazine and novelist from Saratoga Springs on Monday April 12, at 7p.m. at the William K. Sanford Library.
Kunstler will discuss America’s changing landscape, a topic he has written about during his career, according to information from Mittleman.
`The tragic landscape of highway strips, junked cities and ravaged country sides that make up the every day environment where most Americans live,` will be discussed as well, according to a statement.
Mittleman helped circulate a petition to the Colonie Planning Board asking them not to grant site plan approval for the cell tower due to the historic nature of the Loudonville.
Also at the library, on Thursday April 15, at 7 p.m., Sharon Bright Holub, president of the Greater Loudonville Association and editor of Traveling the Loudon Plank Road will present an abbreviated history of Loudonville focusing on the significance of its homes and residences.
`Technology advancements and population growth are rapidly changing the neighborhoods and communities in which we live. The once slower paced historic town of Loudonville is perhaps no more, but how much must it change and what does it mean for our health, our well being and our quality of life?` a statement from Mittleman reads.
Dr. David Carpenter will also speak about the health issues of the tower. Carpenter is a Harvard educated physician who has spent his career in the field of public health. Carpenter has previously commented about the warranted concerns of the parents of students at nearby Loudonville Elementary School, although he noted there is no conclusive edidence to link the towers to increased cancer rates.
The William K. Sanford Town Library is located at 629 Albany-Shaker Road. The meetings will take place in the Stedman Room.
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